[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 441 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 441

    Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 21, 2019

   Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
   Rubio, Mr. Warner, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. Capito, Ms. 
    Duckworth, Mr. Moran, Mr. Jones, Mr. Gardner, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
  Isakson, Ms. Harris, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Brown, Ms. 
Sinema, and Ms. Cantwell) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon landing.

Whereas, on May 25, 1961, before a joint session of Congress, President John F. 
        Kennedy--

    (1) declared, ``Now it is time to take longer strides--time for a great 
new American enterprise--time for this Nation to take a clearly leading 
role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our 
future on Earth.''; and

    (2) with his words, set the goal of sending astronauts to the Moon and 
returning them safely to the Earth;

Whereas the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``NASA'') mobilized and established the Apollo space program 
        to meet the goal set by President Kennedy;
Whereas the Apollo space program built on the achievements of the prior space 
        programs of NASA, including the Mercury and Gemini missions;
Whereas the successful Moon landing honored the tragic sacrifice of every 
        astronaut whose life had previously been lost in the service of United 
        States spaceflight research, including--

    (1) Roger B. Chaffee, Virgil ``Gus'' I. Grissom, and Edward H. White 
II, the astronauts who lost their lives during the pre-flight test for 
Apollo 1; and

    (2) Theodore C. Freeman, Charles A. Bassett II, Elliot See, Jr., Robert 
H. Lawrence, Jr., Michael J. Adams, and Clifton C. Williams, Jr.;

Whereas the crew of the Apollo 12 mission consisted of--

    (1) Charles ``Pete'' Conrad, Jr., Mission Commander;

    (2) Alan Bean, Lunar Module Pilot; and

    (3) Richard F. Gordon, Command Module Pilot;

Whereas the entire Apollo 12 crew consisted of individuals who had served in the 
        Navy;
Whereas the official insignia of the mission was the clipper ship, which 
        increased the use of the seas by the United States, just as the Apollo 
        program increased the use of space-based knowledge and exploration;
Whereas David R. Scott, Alfred M. Worden, and James B. Irwin stood ready to 
        support or stand in for the Apollo 12 crew;
Whereas, on November 14, 1969, the Apollo 12 crew launched from the John F. 
        Kennedy Space Center aboard a Saturn V rocket;
Whereas, on November 19, 1969, the Intrepid Lunar Module landed on the surface 
        of the Moon as the second-ever crewed Moon mission of the United States;
Whereas Apollo 12 carried the second Apollo crew to the moon to build on the 
        work of the first crew from Apollo 11;
Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 conducted an orbital maneuver to land in the 
        Western Hemisphere of the Moon to recover portions of a previous lander 
        that had been on the surface of the Moon for 2 years to study the 
        effects of extended exposure to the surface of the Moon;
Whereas the crew of Apollo 12 planted the flag of the United States in lunar 
        soil, and images of the lunar surface indicate that the Apollo 12 flag 
        is still standing;
Whereas the Intrepid carried flags from 136 nations, the United Nations, and the 
        50 States and the territories of the United States, representing the 
        international coordination and collaboration of space exploration and 
        the scientific intent of the Apollo missions;
Whereas the Apollo 12 crew collected lunar samples and conducted experiments to 
        gain a better understanding of the composition of the Moon and 
        conditions on its surface;
Whereas Apollo 12 deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, a set 
        of instruments left on the surface of the Moon to gather data;
Whereas the success of the Apollo 12 Moon landing was a result of the skill, 
        dedication, and collective effort of tens of thousands of workers, 
        scientists, engineers, and contractors of the United States;
Whereas the Apollo 12 mission further demonstrated the focus and capability of 
        the scientific community of the United States and cemented the United 
        States as the world leader in space exploration;
Whereas, 50 years later, the Apollo 12 Moon landing continues to inspire 
        national and international scientific efforts in space, medicine, and 
        other fields; and
Whereas the knowledge and experience gained from the Apollo space program 
        continues to inform missions to Mars, the far reaches of the solar 
        system, and beyond: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 Moon 
        landing;
            (2) honors the bravery and skill of Charles ``Pete'' 
        Conrad, Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard F. Gordon, the crew of 
        Apollo 12;
            (3) commends the efforts of all of the individuals of the 
        United States who contributed to the achievement of the Apollo 
        12 Moon landing, exemplifying a cooperative effort on a 
        national scale that continues to inspire scientific progress; 
        and
            (4) supports the continued leadership of the United States 
        in the exploration and use of space through human spaceflight.
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